1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an adjustable harness for an air cooling fan such as a personal portable fan that is worn by the user.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Conventional cooling fans are generally situated at fixed locations in a room. The conventional fans, however, can only cool the area near the front of the fan blade. Thus, the actual region cooled depends on the fan blade diameter, the power and speed of the fan motor, the angle of oscillation, and other factors. A user of a fixed location conventional fan must, therefore, remain in this limited region to be cooled by the fan.
The conventional fan also requires an electrical power source for operation such as an AC power line or a battery. As an alternative to fixed location conventional cooling fans, portable cooling fans, also referred to as personal fans, are generally battery operated and are of lightweight construction. The portable fan, however, requires manual holding during operation or, alternatively, must be set in a holder that sits upon a rigid surface.
If the fan is hand held while operating, the user's hand is not free for other purposes and cannot carry out any tasks requiring both hands. In addition, if the user desires the benefit of cool air for a prolonged period, the user must occasionally switch hands to avoid muscle tetanus which likewise may interfere with other tasks. Further, the use of hand held fan is unavailable to segments of the population that suffer from a handicap affecting use of one or both of the arms or hands.
Alternatively, the user may set the personal fan in a stand, thereby losing the benefit of portability. The user must now remain within the limited region cooled by the fan to benefit from the fan's cooled air currents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,035, ("the '350 patent"), entitled "Portable Necklace Fan", is directed to a portable fan worn in a manner that directs air upwardly toward the wearer's face without being manually held. The fan is supported by a cord worn around the user's neck that supports the fan in an orientation such that air is directed upwards toward the wearer. The cord of the fan of the '035 patent is directly attached to either the housing or the shroud of the fan, namely the part of the fan that encloses the fan blades, and loops about the neck to permit its loose ends to be fastened together.
It is desirable to provide a replaceable support for a portable fan and which is not directly connected to the shroud or any other portion that covers or encases the fan blades.
It is additionally desirable to provide a relatively simple way to modify the position and distance between the fan blades and the targeted area to be cooled, e.g., the face of the wearer.
It is still further desirable to provide a support that is easy to detangle and does subject the fan motor and housing to rapid turning during detangling.
It is yet further desirable to provide a relatively simple mechanism to change the support as desired by the wearer, such as by replacing an ordinary cord or string with a flourescent support material for night use or, alternatively, using an alternative fashionable support.